Voice Reflection

For Series Thirteen, we turned our attention to the notion of Voice – Tell Your Story as we attempted to unpack the provocation Whose voice is missing?

The lands and waters of what is now the nation of Australia, our home, were once organised among our First Nations completely differently. Our culture has been grown by the contributions of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples since Europeans first came here. Yet, the gaping wound of our history still festers as we contemplate the injustice, dispossession and death that have and still flow from the failure of our interactions to do good and right by all. We recognise the intergenerational trauma that remains and make our pledge to do what we can to use the power of story in education, and the profoundness of our hearts to find healing through an unwavering commitment to truth telling.

In support of our national conversation about and international significance of the pending decision by Australians to adopt by referendum an Indigenous Voice to our federal parliament, Phil and I devoted an entire series to the voices and remarkable story of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In Series Thirteen of the Game Changers Podcast, we spoke to seven remarkable First Nations peoples – an author and signatory to the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the 2022 Darwin Community NAIDOC Volunteer of the Year, the Founder and CEO of DeadlyScience, a dynamic School Principal, a school Indigenous Programs Coordinator, one of Australia’s foremost Aboriginal authors, poets and social commentators and the CEO of Reconciliation Australia.

Each one of these remarkable First Nations peoples challenged our binary thinking of identity and belonging. Game Changers who planted the seeds for each of us to grow in our understanding of what history is calling us to do, who invited us all to join a movement of the Australian people as agents of social change and walk with First Nations for a better future and our collective humanity.      

Episode One | Tammy Anderson
Key learnings – Our encounter with Tammy Anderson, a Biripi woman who has grown up with her family on Dharawal country and Principal at Briar Road Public School, NSW reminded us of the importance of bringing Aboriginal education and First Nations learnings into every Australian classroom to enhance the learning experience for all students. Anderson emphasizes building connections with the community as essential in achieving reconciliation in education. She also emphasizes the significance of honouring culture in learning to allow young people the space to develop a strong sense of belonging and express their identity.

Episode Two | Thomas Mayo
Key learnings – Our conversation with the remarkable Thomas Mayo, a Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man and a signatory, and advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, highlighted the importance of recognising the sovereignty of First Nations people and the need for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations voice to the government. When Mayo recited the Uluru Statement from the Heart, a profound statement of vision and generosity from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the Australian nation, it offered the hope of a promise: that if we get these reforms right, it will not only benefit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people but will add to our shared sense of identity and nationhood. 

Episode Three | Lucy Amon
Key learnings – Our conversation with a proud Noonuccal woman from Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and Indigenous Coordinator at Methodist Ladies' College VIC, Lucy Amon, highlighted the value of fostering culturally responsive classrooms where MLC's teachers are constantly looking at ways to make the curriculum more inclusive and nurture MLC's commitment to celebrating a culture of diversity. Amon stepped us through many shared experiences and stories of her school's Indigenous Program Strategy which reflects ACARA's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History and Cultures cross-curriculum priority, aiming to engage with Indigenous people to teach their own history, culture, and ways of knowing and doing.

Episode Four | Corey Tutt OAM 
Key learnings – Our conversation with the energetic Corey Tutt, a proud Kamilaroi man and CEO of DeadlyScience, was a profound demonstration of inspiring Indigenous children to believe in themselves and understand their environment – for the benefit of Australia and all its people. Tutt gathers donations of science resources and sends them to remote schools around Australia to empower all young people about the important history of Indigenous science and agriculture – to help educate them about the real story of Australia's past. 

Episode Five | Nicole Brown
Key learnings – Nicole Brown, a proud Larrakia woman, 2022 Darwin Community NAIDOC Volunteer of the Year and social activist has dedicated her life to advance Australia’s First Nations peoples. Brown highlighted the value of honouring Indigenous people, knowledge and perspective is a process we should all be deeply committed to. She continues to provide opportunities for remote and regional people, particularly Indigenous girls, women, and youth, to look beyond their own world and see different ways of knowing and being, equipping them with the perspectives and self-determination required for them to be true citizens of the world.

Episode Six | Anita Heiss AM 
Key learnings – Anita Heiss, a proud member of the Wiradyuri nation of central New South Wales and one of Australia’s most prolific and significant Indigenous authors spoke of the power of amplifying voice, language, and story. Our conversation with Heiss gave us a peek into the author’s mind, as she explained how she works to make the world a more equitable and compassionate place through her unwavering commitment to teaching the world about Aboriginal literature and inspire young Indigenous Australians to write their own stories. 

Special Series | Karen Mundine 
Key learnings – Phil’s special series conversations with Karen Mundine, from the Bundjalung Nation of northern NSW and CEO Reconciliation Australia reminded us of why First Nations voice recognition matters and the value of a seat at the table best summed up by this quote:

“The constitution, our ultimate governance document, makes no mention of First Peoples and we want a voice. We want to have agency over our lives. We want to have a say in the things that matter to us. It’s a really simple change, but it will be such a transformative process for reconciliation and how we move forward as a mature nation.”

Thank you to Thomas, Lucy, Corey, Tammy, Anita, Nicole, and Karen for sharing your story, your purpose, your voice.  

Education does not exist in a vacuum. We do what we do not for its own sake, but as the key process of transformation of the child into the adult in which we equip, empower, and enable them to grow, make progress, achieve, and succeed. We do this so that the most formative period of education in a lifetime of learning – the school years – might genuinely become a rehearsal for a life that will be well-lived, worthwhile, and significant.

So, now, and as we move forward, our stories of reconciliation take us to what we as Australians will ultimately value, whether we can measure this or not. And, as we contemplate what matters most to us as a nation and how this might influence how we educate our generations to follow, I again challenge those listening to this epilogue to ask themselves: whose voice is missing?

And finally, we should never forget that each person in a learning community is home to a unique life. It is as simple and complex as that. Born from the construct of love – of self, for place, for planet, and for the other.

Listen to our Series Thirteen: Epilogue via streaming platforms - SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify & Google Podcasts. 

Let's go!

Adriano

* You can listen to the Game Changers | Epilogue Episode here: https://soundcloud.com/gamechangerspc/s13-epilogue

** Game Changers: Leading Today’s Learning For Tomorrow’s World is available for purchase here: https://www.hbe.com.au/hb1338.html